With investments in 'green' operations, College of the Atlantic tops a national list
PHOTO / COURTESY, COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC
Earlier this year, College of the Atlantic opened a 46-bed dormitory designed to Passive House energy standards and utilizing mass timber, wood infill walls and wood-fiber insulation.
For the ninth year in a row, College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor ranks No. 1 nationally in the Princeton Review's “Guide to Green Colleges.”
Colby College in Waterville dropped from the No. 2 spot last year to No. 11 this year.
Other Maine schools of higher education on the list were Bates College in Lewiston in the No. 20 spot, the University of Maine in Orono at No. 47, and Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Saint Joseph's College in Standish, the University of Maine at Farmington and the University of New England in Biddeford.
The annual guide is an online resource published since 2010 for college applicants wanting to attend schools that foster a culture of environmental responsibility.
Based primarily on surveys and analyses at nearly 600 colleges in 2023–24, the list includes 511 schools selected for programs, policies and practices related to sustainability and the environment.
Since the guide was created in 2010, there’s been “dramatic growth in the number of colleges committing to sustainability practices — from sourcing food locally and constructing LEED-certified buildings to making commitments to becoming fossil fuel-free,” said Rob Franek, the review’s editor-in-chief.
The publication said of the schools overall:
- 28% of their energy comes from clean and renewable sources
- 46% of their waste is diverted from incinerators or solid-waste landfills
- 98% offer a sustainability focused undergraduate major or degree
- 100% have a sustainability officer.
Energy-saving construction
College of the Atlantic, with a full-time enrollment of 360, was cited as being “exceptional” in its green distinctions.
Awarding bachelor’s and master’s degrees in human ecology exclusively, in 2007 COA became the first college to achieve carbon-neutrality in the U.S. and it has committed to becoming fossil fuel-free by 2030.
The college is also No. 1 on the Princeton Review list “Green Matters: Everyone Cares About Conservation.”
Steps to reduce its footprint include construction of a 12,000-square-foot dormitory designed to passive house principles, featuring airtight construction, a high-efficiency envelope, heat-recovery ventilation, mass-timber construction, wood-fiber insulation and a rooftop solar array.
The college completed construction of a 30,000-square-foot academic center that employs similar principles. Other initiatives include phasing out single-use plastics; reducing, recycling and composting waste; transitioning to renewable sources; sourcing food sustainably; and using nontoxic cleaning products.
Founded in 1969, College of the Atlantic is part of Sustainable MDI, a group of area businesses working together on similar measures.
Other distinctions cited by the guide include an inclusive governance system and an "interdisciplinary approach to learning” with students allowed to construct their own educational path. Academic opportunities allow for hands-on, in-the-field experience. a number of individuals participate in student research through local lab partners.
Late last year, the Bar Harbor school joined Southern Maine Community College in Portland, the University of Maine in Orono and six other colleges and universities outside of Maine to support climate action in each of their broader communities. The schools serve as host sites for AmeriCorps’ Campus Climate Action Corps program, a new AmeriCorps program from Campus Compact, a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Boston and dedicated to the public purposes of higher education.
‘Tight-knit and inclusive’
Maine’s next-highest-ranked college on the list, Colby College in 2013 also became one of the first colleges in the country to achieve net reduction of carbon emissions and has implemented sustainability programs on campus and several innovative environmental initiatives.
Founded in 1813, the Waterville college uses a mix of renewable energy sources and purchases carbon offsets in order to achieve net carbon neutrality, and continues to look for new ways to reduce its overall carbon footprint. In 2017, a 5,300-panel solar installation on the campus began producing 15% of Colby’s electricity needs.
Colby was cited as having “a tight-knit and inclusive community," and "a place for adventurous, friendly, and hardworking students." Undergrads described their peers as "a rather liberal and environmentally-conscious group," full of "forward thinkers who demand immediate change to social and academic schools of thought."
The Princeton Review is a tutoring, test prep and college admissions services company founded in 1981 and based in New York City.
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments